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Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 132, 2 December 1930, Page 13

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BRITISH KUGBY TEAM

MR. BAXTER'S PART

On their return, .to the Home countries the members of the British Rugbyfootball team which visited Now Zealand and Australia this year gave interesting acounts of the tour to'interviewers and others. Advico by mail from England states that. Mr.. James Baxter, the manager, had something to say regarding the tour further than the remarks he made on landing at Plymouth, some of which were cabled to New Zealand. Mr. Baxter's attention was called to. the suggestion made in some quarters tha,t he- had dominated the selection committee and had been mainly responsible for the choosing of the teams. So far from that,being the case, ho said, the teams wore always chosen by a committee consisting of himself as chairman, and. Prentice, Sobey, and Farrell, with other members of the- party invariably called in, and there were occasions when'he was outvoted on .some1 particular choice... ■ But; as in all other matters, there was perfect understanding and -loyalty..as .. between players and manager, and complete harmony . prevailed from start to .finish. ■ Of the courtesy arid kindliness. extended to the party, everywhere) Mr. Baxter was - very, enthusiastic, -and speaking of New South-Wales,.where it has recently been stated publicly by an . official of the Rugby League that the British party' "played games against several men who have played in the Rugby League in'recent years, and have been paid for doing it," he declared that the people in New South Wales who have control of the game are among the most delightful sportsmen ho has ever met, and that no irregularity could have happened with their'knowledge. SCOTLAND'S REPRESENTATIVE. The "Edinburgh Evening News" has an interview with W. S. Welsh, the Scottish International forward. '■ "On arriving at Hawick," says the "News," '' Welsh was greeted by a very large crowd, and it is indicative of his enthusiasm for the Rugby game that later iv the evening he went down to Mansfield Park and 'did some' training in order to work off the stiffness incurred on the homeward voyage. ''Speaking about the enthusiasm which prevailed in New. Zealand and Australia, Wejsh said that it was little short of remarkable. People had come from all parts to sco vtho British tourists playing. In the last Test (inwhich he played) there was a crowd of 42,000, and the smallest crowd in the Now Zealand games was 8000. On that occasion, of course, the game had been played in one of the small centres. Wherever he. had. gone he had met people from the. ; Mother Country, and he was particularly delighted to' meet a large number of Hawick people. Perhaps it was the ■ fact that he was thoonly Scotsman in the party,.but he had been greatly sought out, and on one occasion he was delighted to meet three men who had formerly played in t' ; Hawiek team. Even in Colombo,, ho had met old opponents in C. G-. Kerr, the former Watsonian forward, and Alec Macleod, who used to play for Jcdforest before going to "the London Scottish. In New Zealand, too, h© met Dr. Gunn, the former Royal High School internationalist. "In Australia he was delighted to meet most: of the Waratahs who had been in this country in 1927-28. Among the Australians whom he played against at Melrose, and who were still to the fore in their own. country, was Tom Lawtoji,. who ; liadx played '.exceptionally well when,, Australia beat. Britain by 0 jjoints to.sjand another.old friend in Breckchridge,. the forward. Welsh said that he.was very interested to learn that;. Breckenridge-. had been married to a Glasgow.girl, whom he met when he was over with the,' Waratahs. I i"Wolsh said that he thought that the tour proyided a great .opportunity for strengthening enthusiasm in' the Rugby game. . So. far as, he was concerned, he had been very glad of the opportunity -of .studying the tactics, and methods of • the leading international players, and. he was'sure he had .(to put it in his own words),.'learned a thing or two.' . ' '.....'..: '' The pitches in- New Zealand, he thought, were superior to those in' Australia, but the best pitch on which he had played was that at Colombo, which was like a billiard table; and-it was set amidst beautiful surroundings., Welsh was proud of the fact that he had brought home with him, his blue1 jersey, on the breast of. which' are three golden lions. These were the colours of the British tourists "while they were on. tour. He also brought back with him a white jersey, which was given to him by one of the New Zealanders. Welsh said there was a tremendous storm, over the suggestion that New Zealand should change their colours from black to white, but eventually the difficulty was got over, and the New Zealanders had very sportingly sacrificed sentiment for convenience." HODGSON'S VIEWS. J. MD. Hodgson, the Northern and Northumberland forward, has given some impressions to the "Newcastle Journal." "On tour we had a simply' wonderful time," said Hodgson, "and I shall never forget my visit with the touring team to a -country where Rugby football is almost a religion." Hodgson spoke of the largo attendances at the matches, the heavy travelling, the climate, and the conditions of the grounds. Asked about the: playing standard in New Zeakind, Hodgson said the game was of keener quality than in England, but the teams did not go out so much for the open game. The forwards were exceptionally good. In Now South Wales, however, the English type, of Rugby was seen, with the eight-for-ward formation adhered to, and the ball given plenty of air. On the question-of the Tests, Mr. Hodgson thought that with a bit of luck the British side might have wone three out of four. ■ The bounce of the ball decided against them twice, and again a tactical error cost a certain victory. "It was simply touch and go." He praised the fine forward play of th© New Zealanders—a "very tough lot" —but said the different interpretation of the rules had something to do with our forwards not getting tho ball so much. There seemed to bo some doubt in the minds of the New Zealanders whether the rule as to the ball passing l>otli t'oet of a forward in each pack did not mejin "past both feet of one man" (only). ,This gave the front-row forward opposite the loose head on the side where the ball was being put in liberty to hook with" his inside foot. When interviewed by a "Westmorland Gazette" representative, Sam Martindale, the Kcndal international, said he had had a magnificent trip, adding that ho weighed lost 31b, compared with liist 121b when he left England. It was not through lack of work, as he had very little time to himself.